New study examines how health affects happiness

A new study found that the degree to which a disease disrupts daily functioning is associated with reduced happiness.

Share:

Total shares:

FULL STORY

A new study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that the degree to which a disease disrupts daily functioning is associated with reduced happiness.

Lead author Erik Angner, associate professor of philosophy, economics and public policy at George Mason University, worked with an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Chicago and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Previous research found that many serious medical conditions, including cancer, have a surprisingly small impact on happiness, while certain other conditions, such as urinary incontinence, seem to have a lasting negative effect on happiness.

In their study, Angner and his co-authors explored the difference. They developed a measure called the "freedom-from-debility score" based on four health survey questions explicitly designed to represent limitations in physical activities and in usual role activities because of health problems.

This study is the first to use a direct measure of the degree to which disease disrupts daily functioning.

The authors found that when controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors in addition to objective and subjective health status, a one-point increase in the freedom-from-debility score (on a scale from 0 to 100) was associated with a three-percent reduction in the odds of reported unhappiness.

For example, a patient with prostate cancer, whose daily functioning is not affected by his condition, might score higher on a happiness scale than a patient with urinary incontinence, whose condition imposes dramatic limitations in daily functioning. Indeed, in an earlier study, the authors found that participants with a history of cancer reported being significantly happier than those with urinary incontinence.

The study was conducted using a sample of 383 older adults recruited from the practices of 39 primary care physicians in Alabama.

"These new results support the notion that health status is one of the most important predictors of happiness," Angner said. "A better understanding of the complex relationship between health status and subjective well-being could have important implications for the care and treatment of patients and could lead to interventions that could dramatically improve patient quality of life."

Angner has separate PhDs in economics and in history and philosophy of science and has written extensively on the philosophy and economics of health, happiness and well-being. He is the author of A Course in Behavioral Economics.

July 31, 2015  School is just around the corner, which means backpacks and packed lunches await your children. One expert offers tips for parents to promote healthy dental habits while away from ... read more

July 29, 2015  By blocking the expression of a certain gene in patients, researchers have contributed to the demonstration of great decreases in the concentration of triglycerides in their ... read more

July 29, 2015  Viewing aquarium displays led to noticeable reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, a research team found in the first study of its kind. They also noted that higher numbers of fish helped to ... read more

Oct. 28, 2014  The birth of a first and a second child briefly increases the level of their parents’ happiness, but a third does not, according to new research. Those who have children at an older age or who are ... read more

Mar. 17, 2014  Why is being happy, positive and satisfied with life the ultimate goal of so many people, while others steer clear of such feelings? It is often because of the lingering belief that happiness causes ... read more

Oct. 7, 2013  Swedish soccer star Zlatan is associated with happiness, but not iPhones. A new study suggests that our collective picture of what makes us happy is more about relationships, and less about ... read more

May 16, 2011  It seems like everyone wants to be happier and the pursuit of happiness is one of the foundations of American life. But even happiness can have a dark side, according to a new ... read more